Angels Relief Pitcher Could Solve Pirates' Bullpen Woes
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CINCINNATI — It's no secret that the bullpen is a weak point for the Pittsburgh Pirates and that they'll make moves at the Aug. 3 trade deadline to help fix it.
One pitcher that would seriously help the Pirates in this regard is Los Angeles Angels right-handed pitcher Ryan Zeferjahn, a player on the trade market and someone they have a realistic shot of getting.
The Pirates just blew their 20th save in their 8-7 loss to the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on July 31, throwing away a 7-5 lead and giving up three runs in the bottom of the eighth inning.
Pittsburgh must act aggressively at the trade deadline and starting off with the addition of Zeferjahn would be an incredible way to do just that.
What Pirates Would Get in Zeferjahn
The Pirates need a right-handed pitcher that can get left-handed batters out and Zeferjahn fits that mold.
Zeferjahn has great splits against both righties, .147/.296/.242 for an OPS of .538, plus against lefties, .175/.337/.350 for an OPS of .687.
There are few relief pitchers more effective than Zeferjahn in baseball this season, with his advanced metrics showing this.
Stat | Total (MLB Ranking) |
|---|---|
Expected Batting Average (xBA) | .164 (2nd) |
Expected Slugging Percentage (xSLG) | .268 (8th) |
Expected Weighted On-Base Average on Concact (xwOBAcon) | .312 (Tied-11th) |
Strikeout Rate (K %) | 32.9% (16th) |
Zeferjahn has a more vast pitch mix than most relievers, throwing five pitches, but sticking mostly with his sweeper and four-seam fastball, adding in his sinker and slider and occassionally throwing a curveball.
His sweeper is by far his best pitch, with a run value of +7, tied for the fourth-best in MLB this season, with hitters rarely getting to it, a strikeout rate of 34.9% and a hard-hit rate of 33.3%.
Will Pirates Trade for Zeferjahn?
It's been a tale of two seasons for Zeferjahn, who struggled early on, but has been incredibly effective as of late.
He posted a 5.86 ERA through his first 23 games, but has posted a 1.21 ERA in his last 21 games and 22.1 innings pitched, with just three runs allowed and striking out 39 batters.
The Pirates would also get a pitcher with years of team control, as Zeferjahn has one more year of pre-arbitration and then three years of arbitration, before hitting the free agent market after the 2030 season.
Concerns about Zeferjahn would be his effectiveness the rest of the season and if he can maintain the quality of pitching he's had over the past two months.
His walk rate is quite high, 14.4%, which is in the bottom 3% of MLB pitchers this season, but his strikeout rate helps mitigate that.
The Angels are also looking to sell their players at the trade deadline, as they go into a serious rebuild, so they would be a willing trade partner.
Now is the time for the Pirates to get serious about bolstering the roster and Zeferjahn would serve as an excellent addition.
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Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.